Bipolar Disorder Support Group

Bipolar disorder is not just a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders marked by periods of abnormally high energy and euphoria, often accompanied by bouts of clinical depression. This is the place to talk about your experience with bipolar disorder, learn from others' experiences, and find support.

I Can't Get My Meds for 3 Months

I wish I was Charles Bukowski right now so I could write this with real passion, but I'm afraid I'm not quite here.

What is going on with the pharmaceutical companies?

What is going on with medicare?

and....

......What the hell is going on behind that desk in the medicare office where they decide whether or not the drug your taking will be covered on their formulary? Thus they are determining what it will cost to you....$10 co-pay or full price. Are they doctors? What if they had an argument with their wife that morning over oatmeal about where they are going on vacation and when he got to work was pissed off. Let's say he's working on my medication requirements and because it's fairly new and WORKS WELL, let's decide to make people pay full price. Especially the underinsured.

Why do I have to pay full price when I have medicare insurance? Because around the same time every year you reach something called a donut hole. Which means, your fucked. You will be paying full price for same drugs till the end of the year.

I'm freezing. Why the air is blasting. I'm wondering why I'm here at the QFC?

So my home town family pharmacy was closed and eaten up by the giant QFC grocery store chain.

Yesterday, instead of walking into a little shop where they know my name and my challenges, I walked into a giant shiny fucking cold as hell, grocery store with a pharmacy. There was my old friend, the one who lost his business to the big guys, now managing the store. He was so busy he could not come to greet me. A man who I have never seen ask me what I needed. They always knew what I needed when I walked into my old store.

The stranger with the white lab coat following company policy, took 30 minutes to fill my script. The medication that I have been on for two years and I can't miss a day of it or I lose my mind. I waiting, trying not to cry knowing something was wrong when he asked me for my insurance card.

So as to not break down in this friggin store in front of men buying Rockstar drinks, I started reading Charles Bukowski's Women book to change up the brain a bit.

The man announced my name over the LOUD speaker in the giant store. He handed another unknown worker, she said $250 please. I said "wait, my co-pay is $90 for that medication."

She went back and checked again. While I waited I could feel the anger well up in my gut. For all kinds of things. Especially for taking away the blissful feeling I had due to the Pearl Jam show the night before.

She returns.

$250 please. Your insurance won't cover it.

"I only have $90."

We just looked at each other. I looked around for the good friend who owned the business I use to go to..he did not acknowledge the problem because he was too busy learning their new computer system.

I put my wallet back in my purse and left without the meds I have been on for two years. The meds that keep me here in this world and telling you this story.

today, I have no meds.

tomorrow, I will have no meds.

I think my family pharmacy went out of business because he probably helped drop the price when this happened. Was it his willingness to help people what put him out of business? I suddenly feel sorry for him. Now having to comply to policies and white lab coats.

I'm frankly scared. The government is arguing over this reform and meanwhile, government and pharmy companies and insurance giants are going to put me back in the hospital to start the whole crazy process over again.

I have no hope anymore. I'm so tired of the fight to live and take care of my condition.

As I left the store with the air conditioning blasting and proceeded to the triple story parking garage, I was numb.

I thought of Charles Bukowski and wondered how he would write about this experience. I'm sure he would be swearing more.

Have to volunteer 12 hours today with no medication. I hope I can actually perform my duties without my brain.

Please, don't bitch at me for this post and NO I DONT KNOW HOW TO SOLVE IT!

oh that totally sucks, i really hope you can find some ways to cope with your emotions for the next couple months. i know its not meds, but sometimes hot baths, breathing slowly, meditation, yoga, and really good friends can help ease things a little bit.

I can really relate. I had gone to the pharmacy one time to get my meds and once the ladt totaled it up it all came out to be $220.00. I told her I had medicaid and the lady looked at me and told me my medicaid had been terminated.

Well I call up to the office to see what the problem was and found out that the lady that was supposed to do my review had forgotten to put all my info in which resulted in my insurance being cancelled. And without it I coudl be headed to the loony bin with the quickness.

I get so sick of depending on the medicaid for health coverage but I ahve no job to get insurance cuz i'm stuck in a situation where I cant work due to appointments between my daughter and I for behavioral health and not have means of transportation. And I can not be put on my boyfriends insurance because we arent married

So trust me when I tell you I can feel your pain. I'm having to go back to the clinic I go to for reauthorization when I would really love to go to a nice pdocs office that isnt government funded. Ugh, its sucks big time to have to work around this illness just to get on with your life.

Trying to find the help to keep you stable and finding way to pay for it. Its really nerve wrecking. I wish I could help you find a solution because this is a major problem of having to deal with all this mess.

And i'm sorry that all I can say is I understand and I sympathize with your present situation. Wish I could honestly help you out more but thats all I can do. ((((hugs))))

i have really crappy insurance and i have to pay for meds out of pocket, so its really tough. i wish the cost of meds was reasonable! it seems like the only ppl who can afford to be healthy are millionares!

Could you just pay per pill - so you wouldn't go without, like use the $90 for all you could get? Then try to use PPARX.org for the rest? Or look into Canadian Pharmacies? Or maybe switch over to some other meds that are a lot cheaper so you are not unmedicated? There are other options you may want to think about....

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